Cops catch two lying about their names

Police say two men lied about their names Sunday when asked — and one claimed he had a mental disability and was not able to spell his name.

Police pulled over a car at Rush Boulevard and East Philadelphia Avenue about 11:50 p.m. Sunday for excessive tint on the windows. When they asked the occupants their names, one man gave a name and said he did not know how to spell it because he is mentally disabled.

Reports said the man appeared to have no trouble talking, and when asked his name again, he again said he didn’t know how to spell. But he gave officers a different birth date than the first time he was asked, reports said.

The man then said he was a juvenile, but none of the birth dates he gave made him a juvenile, reports said.

The man’s girlfriend then showed up and told police his name is Thomas Charles, 24, of East Judson Avenue. A records check revealed he had two Youngstown Municipal Court warrants for failure to appear.

He was jailed on the warrants and for the additional charge of obstruction of justice. The driver of the car was cited for excessive window tint, reports said.

Earlier in the evening, about 9:15 p.m., an officer pulled over a car for loud music on West Federal Street and a passenger in that car, DeAndre Smith, 19, of Eddie Street, also gave officers a false name, reports said.

When he gave a birth date he stuttered as if he was nervous, reports said. The name and the birth date matched, but the photograph on the records check did not match the man in the car, reports said. Smith then admitted his real name and said he thought he had warrants from Boardman.

However, a check under his real name showed he had a failure-to-appear warrant from Youngstown. He also was jailed on the warrant and an obstruction-of-justice charge.